Senoia Package Liquor Referendum (2009)

A Senoia Package Liquor Referendum may appear on the November ballot in Senoia, Georgia. The potential referendum was a result of two businessmen appearing before the city council on April 20, 2009 to propose a themed liquor store. But the city's ordinances don't allow package liquor sales. Since then, Senoia City Attorney Drew Whalen has been asked to review the process that would allow the city to move forward with allowing package liquor, said City Administrator Richard Ferry.[1]

Path to the ballot

If the referendum appears on the election ballot in Senoia, the city government will not have a hand in it.
"It is not a council action that drives this to a public referendum. It has to be a citizen driven petition," said Mayor Robert Belisle at Monday night's Senoia City Council meeting. "The local government can't initiate the referendum."

Before the election superintendent can initiate a referendum, there must be a petition signed by at least 35 percent of the city's registered voters who were eligible to vote during the last city election. The petition must then be verified. To get the issue on the November ballot, the petition and ballot question must be ready by early August.[2]

If the petition is to be submitted by the September 1, 2009 deadline, and it is confirmed that it was signed by at least 35 percent of registered voters, the Municipal Election will call the referendum for not less than 30 and not more than 60 days after the call, as stated in the City Council Meeting minutes on June 1, 2009.[3]